(RENO,
Nev.)
Ė With several financing opportunities and savings options available, now is
the ideal time to consider purchasing a new or used vehicle.The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offers car shoppers a checklist to
help select cleaner cars resulting in cleaner air and a healthy environment for
the Truckee Meadows.

÷Look for smoke when you start the vehicle.White
exhaust, at first, is normal condensation. If you see
exhaust for longer than 10 seconds or it is dirty or blue, the engine probably
needs repair.

÷Verify the age of the car.Studies
show pre-1981 cars account for less than a fourth of the vehicles on the road,
but produce more than half the ozone-causing emissions

÷Check the gas cap.There
should be a hissing sound when the cap is loosened.Improperly fitted gas caps can cause gas to leak resulting in
air pollution.

÷Check the mileage.The
ideal used vehicle has between 12,000 to 15,000 average miles per year over the
life of the vehicle.

÷Check for a valid emissions certificate.Nevada
requires used car dealers to issue a valid emissions test, when required, on any
vehicle they sell.In private
transactions, the test is the buyer's responsibility.

÷Determine fuel efficiency.All new
cars and trucks purchased from a car dealer display a fuel economy label,
usually on one of the windows that provide the vehicle's estimated miles per
gallon under highway and city operating conditions.

÷Get expert advice.Before purchasing a used vehicle, ask a mechanic to inspect the vehicle
for maintenance problems.

Residents
of the Truckee Meadows can easily help to improve the regionís air quality by
reporting smoking vehicles by calling 686-SMOG.Callers should be prepared to provide the license plate
number of the smoking vehicle, the approximate time the vehicle was spotted and
the location of the vehicle.All
information is confidential.

The
smoking vehicle program started in 1996, resulting in more than 32,000 calls
over the last five years to the DMV.The
program has helped to get more than 5,000 smoking vehicles cleaned up resulting
in cleaner air for the region.